Dilys Williams

Sun 10 Apr 2022 09.00 BSTLast modified on Thu 21 Apr 2022 10.30 BST

Shein: the unacceptable face of

throwaway fast fashion

Fast fashion is engineered to fit in with busy lives. Low prices invite low maintenance
(cheaper and quicker to chuck than to launder and iron), low risk – or so it appears
(buy in haste, no need to repent if it doesn’t look right), and the convenience is
unrivaled (swipe, click and answer the door).

The pressure to look on trend is capitalized on by thousands of affiliates and

celebrities who have the ears and eyes of millions of followers on social media.

The enticement to buy is immense and, for many, irresistible. Aggressive marketing
combined with the use of algorithms, which scan social media for micro trends,
enable brands to cut production to as little as 10 days. The designer is obsolete and,
instead, engineers and sophisticated software allow the production of clothes that are
fit for the screen, designed for obsolescence, destined for landfill.

Shein is at the forefront of this new business model. Last week, the e-commerce giant
was valued at $100bn, making it worth as much as Zara and H&M combined. Shein
has risen from relative obscurity to dominate this market, taking revenue from $2bn
in 2018 to $15.7bn in 2021. Its model of manufacturing garments, plus our demand
for them, means it churns out up to a staggering 10,000 new products a day. The
constant, timed mark-downs, shown in hours and minutes, perpetuate the idea that
you need to buy now and can’t wear anything twice.
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Sun 10 Apr 2022 09.00 BSTLast modified on Thu 21 Apr 2022 10.30 BST

The Guangzhou-based business was founded in 2008 by Chris Xu and has

7,000 employees. Predicated on the “test and repeat” model, made famous by
Inditex and H&M, just 6% of Shein’s inventory remains in stock for more than
90 days. It relies on third-party suppliers in China to produce small batches of
clothes, about 50-100 per item. If an item does well, more batches are
commissioned; if not, the lines are immediately discontinued. Shein ships to
more than 150 countries – a sobering thought when you consider the
emissions not just of deliveries but also returns. Most returns end up in
landfill because it costs more to put them back in circulation. Shein overtook
Amazon as the most downloaded shopping app in the US last year,
underlining how its use of digital marketing has helped it overtake rivals so
adeptly.

Shein’s meteoric rise is taking fast fashion, an already resource-depleting

model in environmental and social terms, to fresh depths, carving out a new
category: ultra-fast fashion. In a week when we have also seen the
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Sun 10 Apr 2022 09.00 BSTLast modified on Thu 21 Apr 2022 10.30 BST

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change lay out the stark realities of the
climate emergency – and with a growing number of people purporting to care
deeply about the future of the planet – the success of Shein is somewhat of a
paradox.

Its extraordinary rise in popularity comes despite a poor social and

environmental record and controversial practices, from allegedly ripping off
designs from small labels to producing swastika necklaces, not to mention the
labor conditions found among its suppliers.

The Shein valuation has sharply divided opinion and we would do well to
consider why this is so. Some herald it as inclusive, due to its price points, and
others call it out for the impact of its practices on life and lives. We should be
under no illusions: ultra-fast fashion has little to do with democratization and
much more to do with profit and wealth for those at the top.
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Sun 10 Apr 2022 09.00 BSTLast modified on Thu 21 Apr 2022 10.30 BST

It is not those on low incomes who drive this industry. The biggest customer
base is people with substantial disposable incomes, which raises the question:
where did our fashion sense go so wrong?

This dominant model of fashion is untenable. There are much better ways of
making a living and representing yourself than through clothes that are
environmentally and socially destructive. There is a burgeoning (but not yet
fully representative) array of fashion that does not subscribe to this model.
Designers such as Bethany Williams embody fashion with integrity.
Secondhand, resale and rental are rapidly growing, but rather than replacing
at least part of the dominant system, people are still tempted back to these
brands, which perpetuate such a warped image of prosperity.

Governments continue to offer a license to do harm, endorsing poorly

regulated, exploitative practices that don’t count the costs incurred in
pollution, emissions (fashion emits more than international aviation and
shipping combined), soil degradation, biodiversity loss and human wellbeing.
This lack of regulation and incentives to grow infinitely are an absurdity on a
finite planet. Fast fashion is far from cheap – someone, somewhere is paying
the real price. Whether they are workers in Leicester being paid £3.50 an hour
in sweatshop conditions, or farmers in India dying from dangerous chemicals
in the production of cotton – collectively and individually, we are all paying.

Working with students at London College of Fashion, UAL, we set out to create
propositions in fashion that can transform this model. The industry was
designed to maximize profit at any cost, so radical action must be taken to
rebuild it to include equity, racial and climate justice. We apply our creative
skills in places where we can make the biggest difference, from refugee camps
in Jordan, to communities in east London. Fashion is something that we all
take part in. It’s a social, creative, economic and cultural set of activities that
can contribute to the world, not just take from it.
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Sun 10 Apr 2022 09.00 BSTLast modified on Thu 21 Apr 2022 10.30 BST

We need to take away the license to do harm. Last week the European
Environmental Agency announced a crackdown on fast fashion. The UK
government should follow suit. It will take governments, universities and
businesses working together to fulfill our collective responsibility to protect
our planet and industry for future generations. Nothing less than radical
change is required to avoid 4C warming. There is no life, let alone fashion, in
that world.

https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2022/apr/10/shein-the-unacceptable-
face-of-throwaway-fast-fashion